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Orange and chocolate are one of those perfect combinations…like wine and cheese, or pears and cheese, lemon and chicken…Chocolate *obviously* is fantastic on it’s own, but man, when you add that extra little zing of orange, it just elevates it to new levels.  As the site’s one year anniversary approached, I wondered what would be the perfect recipe to celebrate with?  I toyed with a drink recipe, cakes, some really decadent main…nothing really jumped out at me.  After the site crash last week (which still is not fully resolved, btw…I still have to edit a gazillion posts wraught with Â’s and gobbledy gook. ), I was rather uninspired…I huddled around my bowls of soup and or plates of mashed potatoes like someone was going to take them away.  What can I say…soup and mashed potatoes are comforting to the heart as well as the tummy. lol  Finally I decided that I would do a chocolate mousse.  But, I thought, it’s got to be the best damned mousse ever.  I’ve got to add some orange in there, and some booze! :lol: The last mousse recipe I tried was excellent, though a bit too involved for everyday.  This recipe, folks is easy enough for a weekday (it only takes about 10 minutes to make), and you’ll have enough to last for at least a few days of delicious desserts—more if you freeze some into mousse pops.  And!? Since this particular recipe has booze in it?  It’s alllllll for you.  The kids will have to sit this one out. (You *can* omit the Cointreau for the kids of course, and just up the water a tad, but it’s more fun this way. ) This is grown up mousse.  Mom and Dad mousse.  Perfect mousse.  See?  Wanna bite?

I perused the internet to find a recipe that was simple and quick, yet used quality ingredients, and found the perfect starting point posted by Debra47 at Group Recipes.  I adapted her recipe to make the one I had in my mind.  If you like chocolate and you like oranges?  You are going to love this, guys. This is what I have left:

 

First of all, the ingredients:

Ingredients:

6 ounces (150 grams) Lindt Dark chocolate infused with orange essence and orange zest (or a high quality dark chocolate and a bit of orange essence and orange zest)
3 eggs, separated
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons Cointreau or Grand Marnier
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup demerara sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preparation:
 
Break up the chocolate bar and place in a microwave safe bowl.
Melt chocolate for about 20-30 seconds (watch this carefully, you don’t want to burn it).
Add egg yolks and beat to combine.

Add water and Cointreau and beat to combine.
Set aside.
Beat egg whites and salt on high speed until soft peaks form.

Add sugar and cinnamon and beat to combine.
Fold chocolate mixture into egg white mixture.

Refrigerate several hours or overnight.
Serve with freshly whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Mousse de Chocolate y Naranja en español:

Ingredientes:

150 gramos de chocolate Lindt de Naranja
3 huevos, separados
2 cucharadas agua
2 cucharadas Cointreau o Gran Marnier
pizca de sal
6 cucharadas azúcar demerara (azúcar moreno)
1 cucharadita de canela molida

Elaboración: 

En un bol apto para el microondas, derretir el chocolate–ten cuidado a no quemarlo!
Añadir las yemas y batir hasta que estén incorporadas.
Añadir el agua y el Cointreau y mezclar bien.
Batir las claras con la sal a punto de nieve.
Añadir el azúcar y la canela y batir hasta que la mezcla esté homogénea.
Añadir el chocolate, mezclando con cuidado.
Dejar en la nevera durante varias horas, o de un día para otro.
Servir con nata montada y un pizquito de canela.

 

Cho-co-late Pudding….man o man is this stuff good.  I have been craving chocolate pudding for weeks and weeks, and the other day finally did a search for recipes.  Would you believe I had never made pudding from scratch before?  Sure, I’ve made the packaged cook and eat kind, but never made pudding from the bare bones ingredients.  It’s kind of funny, I think I’ve made just about every other type of chocolate concoction known to man, and never this one…creamy, silky smooth deliciousness ready to transport you back to your childhood in an instant. :)  Mallow over at PieTown posted this recipe originally, and I heeded her advice to add less sugar.  Since I copied the recipe pretty much word for word, I’ll just note that I reduced the sugar to 2/3 cup, and for gluten free, to be sure to check the cocoa powder label to make sure it’s certified gf.  Enjoy!

We’re gearing up for a chilly, windy and rainy day today…the perfect weather for hot chocolate!  Spanish hot chocolate is a wonderful variation of this delicious winter standby.  Delicate hints of orange and cinnamon grace the silky smooth chocolate.  Typically, Spanish hot chocolate is thickened with cornstarch, but my version is not.  If you’d like, near the end of simmering just add a cornstarch slurry of 1 teaspoon cornstarch to 1 tablespoon water and stir in until thickened.  Warm up your insides this winter and give this one a try, I bet you’ll love it!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups whole milk
zest from one orange (I used a clementine)
1 cinnamon stick
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon best quality cocoa powder

Preparation:

In a small saucepan, bring all ingredients except chocolate up to the boiling point, then reduce heat to a simmer.
Allow to simmer about 10-15 minutes to allow the orange and cinnamon to infuse the milk.
Add chocolate powder and whisk to combine.
Serve.

Joy to the World!  The truffles are done!  OMG if you like Almond Joy candy bars, you simply HAVE to try these.  Seriously, they’re like a little explosion of joy in your mouth.  Truffles are one of those things that sound hard to make, and yet, they’re just not.  They are so easy, and the results are almost always stunning.  I thought I’d be smart and try to use a melon baller this time to try to make perfect little round balls without getting my hands too dirty.  Well, that was a bust. LOL  Truffles do need to be rolled by hand it seems.  Or I was doing something wrong.  Could be…wouldn’t be the first time. lmao  Once the truffles are formed, rolling in coconut is a snap…I just sort of shook them around a bit in a bowl of coconut, and that little trick *did* work. (yay me! lol)  I am so excited to share this recipe with all of you….I think I may have just created a new favorite.

Ingredients:

6 ounces (150 grams) dark chocolate
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon espresso
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup finely chopped almonds
1 cup grated coconut

Preparation:

Melt chocolate in a medium sized glass bowl in the microwave (check and stir frequently, time will depend on your microwave).
Allow to cool a bit, then beat in egg yolks.
Add milk and coffee and beat until combined.
Add butter and continue to beat.
Beat in almonds.
Refrigerate truffle mixture for a minimum of 2 hours.
Form smaller sized balls and roll in coconut.

Another recipe for my Christmas cookie tray…I really love the flavor of the toasted hazelnuts combined with the dark chocolate.  I made a couple of different shapes, logs, squares and circles, just for variation…the squares were the easiest, just spread the dough onto the cookie sheet, bake and slice after removing from the oven.

Ingredients:

1 cup husked hazelnuts
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 ounces good-quality semisweet chocolate (I used Lindtt 59%)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350ºF (175ºC)
Toast hazelnuts on cookie sheet about 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool.
Lower heat to 325ºF (160ºC).
Place hazelnuts in blender or food processor and pulse to coarse bits; set aside.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt to blend; set aside.
Beat butter and sugar until smooth.
Beat in egg.
Gradually beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture.
Add the chopped hazelnuts and mix.
Chill dough in refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
Form into finger sized logs, about 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons dough each, and place on parchment lined cookie sheets. (Or, roll into smaller sized balls, and press with the back of a glass, or spread dough onto a cookie sheet evenly.)
Bake until firm, about 15 minutes.
Remove from oven and cool on racks.
Melt chocolate over a double boiler and dip half of each cookie into the chocolate.
Place on parchment to dry.
Store in refrigerator.

Yummy chocolatey fudgey goodness!  What says Christmas more than that?  :D  The texture of this candy is beautifully silky smooth.  Definitely a must have on my Christmas tray.  It is so easy to make, too!  This recipe makes a 9×13″ pan, which is plenty, I’ve found.  The fudge is quite rich.  I garnished here with a simple melted white chocolate, just to give it that extra little punch of pretty.  I think it would be awesome to make an opposite version, too…white chocolate fudge with dark chocolate swirls. 

Ingredients:

12 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup strong coffee (espresso)
30 large marshmallows
4 cups sugar
10 ounces evaporated milk
1 bar white chocolate (6 ounces, 150 grams)

Preparation:

Place the marshmallows, sugar, and evaporated milk in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat.
Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and boil exactly 6 minutes.
Remove from the heat and immediately add the chocolate, butter and coffee; beat constantly until creamy, and beginning to thicken.
Pour into a foil lined cake pan (I use a 9 x 13), spreading evenly.
Chill overnight and slice into squares.
Melt white chocolate and drizzle over cut fudge (I use a plastic bag with a tiny hole cut out of one corner, so cleanup is easier).
Store in refrigerator.
Serve at room temperature.